No More " Smart " Motorways

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by curly, Jan 12, 2022.

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  1. Tallpaul

    Tallpaul Noble Member

    Apr 7, 2019
    610
    393
    Kidderminster
    Bloody deadly idea from day one. In times of excessive health and safety, how the hell did this soft idea get the green light. Follow the money and take it back.
     
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  2. PatW

    PatW Senior Member

    Apr 4, 2021
    762
    193
    Cymru
    Edmund King commented that there is evidence that these lanes do not relieve congestion anyway as drivers consider them dangerous and just drive in the other lanes, so they're pointless and dangerous.
     
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  3. Tallpaul

    Tallpaul Noble Member

    Apr 7, 2019
    610
    393
    Kidderminster
    Agree. I've never used one.
     
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  4. Mrs Visor

    Mrs Visor Elite Member

    Aug 21, 2021
    3,186
    800
    UK
    I dislike using them when I have to - as said upthread, the amount of people who just drive in the lane with the big red X on the gantry is huge - either because they can't see an obstruction or just aren't taking any notice of / don't care about the lane signs. The thought of breaking down and coming to a stop in a live lane is not a good one.
     
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  5. Smilinjack

    Smilinjack Guest

    Absolutely appalling idea from the get go. I drive on motorways a lot, and the last thing these are is smart. Apart from the amount of wazzocks actually driving on the motorway, you're dependent upon some numbskull in a control centre seeing the problem to begin with. Until they do, you've no indication that there's a problem ahead......:confused:
     
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  6. curly

    curly Noble Member

    Jul 3, 2016
    758
    443
    Burton Upon Trent
    I use motorways as little as possible, smart or conventional.
    They are overloaded with morons who have only one objective, to get wherever it is that they are heading, as quickly as possible and to hell with rules, other road users or any safety concerns.
    The thought of being entirely at the mercy of these individuals and cameras / tv screens being monitored is simply unacceptable as far as I am concerned.
    Several years ago I had no option but to ride my VFR 800 from Falmouth back home, 300 miles in pouring rain, neither the M5 nor the M42 were places I wanted to be.
    This experience has left its mark.
    Breaking down on that journey would have been horrendous, as would a breakdown on any so called smart motorway.
     
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  7. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,933
    800
    Yorkshire
    We've had them here on the M1 near Sheffield for some time and I've hated them from day one. The M1 near the Meadowhall exit was the scene of one of the fatal accidents a couple of years back when someone broke down and was effectively stranded in a "live" lane. They're just a cheap way of making a 3 lane motorway, a 4 lane motorway IMO. I rarely drive that section on the bike but when I do and when I'm in the SUV pulling the caravan, I'm always relieved when I'm through it and back to the standard and SAFER 3 lanes plus hard shoulder. The hard shoulder was deemed a design essential due to the higher speeds when the motorways we know today were proposed. Making it a "normal" lane purely to increase traffic flow and ease congestion just beggars belief.
     
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  8. tcbandituk

    Subscriber

    Apr 8, 2016
    2,763
    1,000
    Reading
    Tried googling it, it looks like it's only the UK that is daft enough to have them...
     
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  9. PatW

    PatW Senior Member

    Apr 4, 2021
    762
    193
    Cymru
    Nope, some countries they have a four lane road with 3 lanes going into town in the morning and 1 lane for leaving, then just for fun they reverse the priorities in the afternoon
     
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  10. Octoberon

    Octoberon Crème de la Crème

    Jul 2, 2020
    2,256
    1,000
    Peak District, Yorkshire
    Yeah, I hate that section of the M1 as well. My junction is a couple further up and I will jump on for a few miles to Meadowhall but it's soul-destroying going any further. Same going north towards Leeds, in fact. If I'm on the bike I almost always avoid the motorway completely.
     
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  11. MARKYMARKTHREE

    MARKYMARKTHREE Senior Member

    Feb 11, 2020
    484
    213
    SOMERSET
    And one of those countries with that sort of set up is Wales. :)
     
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  12. Smilinjack

    Smilinjack Guest

    Tidal roads are everywhere. Lincoln and Sheffield are two I've visited this week. Makes more sense than a bus lane, in my view. They really annoy me....:)
     
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  13. Octoberon

    Octoberon Crème de la Crème

    Jul 2, 2020
    2,256
    1,000
    Peak District, Yorkshire

    I like bus lanes if they allow bikes in them.
     
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  14. MARKYMARKTHREE

    MARKYMARKTHREE Senior Member

    Feb 11, 2020
    484
    213
    SOMERSET
    I like some bus lanes down this way that let bikes and HGVs in them.
     
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  15. Golgotha

    Golgotha Guest

    If a government… any government, labels something as "smart," I'm going venture to say it's probably pretty stupid.
     
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  16. Tigcraft

    Tigcraft Unheard of Member

    Mar 29, 2014
    2,565
    800
    Holmfirth West Yorkshire
    Problem is even when your allowed to use them outside the ‘busy time’ people are so dum that they still don’t use them. I use them whenever I can and strangely I get frowned upon from the drivers without a timepiece!!
     
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  17. Octoberon

    Octoberon Crème de la Crème

    Jul 2, 2020
    2,256
    1,000
    Peak District, Yorkshire
    I'm quite happy with that. It leaves the lane more open for me.
     
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  18. Yorkshireman

    Yorkshireman Crème de la Crème

    Dec 12, 2015
    3,401
    1,000
    Barnsley
    Yep. RTFS
     
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  19. andypandy

    andypandy Crème de la Crème

    Jan 10, 2016
    4,083
    1,000
    Shaw
    Yeah I just can't understand that. It seems like nine out of ten drivers can't read the signs that say the lanes are ONLY bus lanes at certain times. Baffling.
     
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  20. Octoberon

    Octoberon Crème de la Crème

    Jul 2, 2020
    2,256
    1,000
    Peak District, Yorkshire
    What worries me is, how many other signs aren't they reading. Are they paying much attention to the road at all?! :eek:
     
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